


Day 210 Kirkwall

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [210]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25601197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [210]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 210 Kirkwall

Warden Stroud sensed the presence of tainted creatures nearby. The taint was weaker then it would have been for Darkspawn, that meant ghouls. Men and women succumbing to the taint but who yet retained some measure of humanity. Stroud moved forwards with caution, there was little light here in the deep roads, and while his eyes were well accustomed to the darkness, he would not want to trip on a stray rock and give away his position.

He turned a corner and saw the light of a campfire, he had to take a moment to let his eyes adjust to the light. Since becoming a Warden, Stroud had been in darkness far more than light, a sad fate but one he had chosen. The walls and floor here were covered in the black tendrils of growth that was the Blight itself.

As his eyes focused, Straud made out the huddled figures of dwarves seated around the campfire. Ghouls were tricky to deal with. Some Warden’s attacked them on sight, believing death a mercy at that point. Stroud had found many promising recruits from among the ranks of the ghouls and preferred to speak before attacking. Also, something was off about this area of the Deep Roads. The darkspawn were fewer than expected, as though someone were culling their numbers. Yet neither the Wardens nor the Legion had business here. The possibility of Awakened Darkspawn could not be ignored.

Stroud strode towards the fire, sword sheathed but shield at the ready. He made no attempt to keep quiet and the dwarves stood to face him as he entered their circle of light. They were all showing signs of the blight corruption. Black tendrils covered their skin like their veins were filled with the black ichor that filled the Darkspawn, their eyes were clouding over with grey and their flesh was srivaling away, like they were starving (though the pot bubbling on the fire suggested otherwise.)

“Greetings friends,” he said. “I am Warden Stroud.”

“Are you one of Janika’s men,” asked the youngest of the group. She could not have been more than twenty yet the others seemed to defer to her. She had her twin blades drawn but her posture was casual. Stroud fought his instinct to reach for his own weapon. The last thing he wanted to do was escalate the situation.

“No,” he said. “I am here on a mission of my own. I report to Warden Commander Fontain of Orlais.” 

Something was not right, even by Deep Roads standards. The leader motioned to her fellows and they launched an attack. They were slow and telegraphed their attacks but they had numbers and Stroud hadn’t yet drawn his sword. He fell back dodging what attacks he could and blocking the ones he couldn’t with his shield. He had been testing the floor as he approached and knew to avoid the uneven bits of ground. When he had enough space he pulled his sword from its scabbard, slicing the throat of the nearest of his attackers as he did so. The next two, he killed as they were winding up their attacks. He advanced on the leader but a wall of flames sprang up keeping them apart. Behind the young dwarf, a human woman appeared. She wore the uniform of a Warden mage. The dwarf didn’t seem surprised by her presence. Stroud dropped out of his fighting stance but didn’t sheath his sword. ‘Fool me once,’ he thought.

“You must be Janeka,” he said.

“And you must be lost,” she replied. “Why are you here Warden?”

“I was on assignment a ways from here,” Stroud explained. “I sensed unusual activity and came to investigate.” 

He found it odd that Janeka would not dispel her wall of fire. Was she worried her pet ghouls would attack, or that Stroud would?

“I find it highly irregular for a warden to be allied with tainted creatures as you are,” he said.

“We are all tainted creatures,” Janeka replied. “This is not your land and, thus, not your concern. Return to what you were doing, I have things well under control here.”

Stroud knew how the chain of command worked, the army had drilled that into him long before he had joined the wardens. Since then he had come to accept the secretive ways of the order, especially among the mages. He accepted it, but he didn’t like it. Magic was dangerous, especially when mixed with the Blight, but Stroud knew where his authority ended. 

“Of course Senior Warden,” he said. “I apologize for intruding, and for the deaths of your… allies. I will leave you to whatever mission commands your attention.” Stroud bowed and left Janeka and her servants behind. The mage did not dispel her fire before Stroud was out of sight. With his attention free to probe his surroundings he realized he could hear whispers in the back of his mind. He did consider the fact that his calling was coming upon him, though when he reached the surface, the whispers subsided. Rather than being comforted, Stroud was even more unnerved. He had a bad feeling about Janeka but he had little record himself. He resolved himself to write to the Warden Commanders of Orlais and Fereldon and let them decide what to do.


End file.
